Travel · 8 min read
Three hours of delay or more can trigger €250–600 per person under EU Regulation 261/2004 — and the process is built for you to claim yourself, for free. Here is the whole route: from the airline’s claim form to the Danish Civil Aviation Authority (Trafikstyrelsen), with a checklist and answers to the standard rejections.
Updated
Describe Your SituationKey takeaways
Three conditions must be met before compensation is in play:
The amount depends on distance: €250 up to 1,500 km, €400 between 1,500 and 3,500 km, and €600 beyond. The claim stands or falls with the documentation — collect it while it still exists in your inbox and on your phone.
Checklist: what you need
The claim goes to the airline first — use the airline's own claim or compensation form if one exists, otherwise an email to customer service.
If you travelled as a group, each passenger has their own claim — including children with their own ticket. One combined claim is fine, but list every name and the amount per person, and keep the whole correspondence in one thread so the process is easy to document later.
Step by step
If you hear nothing after about four weeks, follow up in writing — the European Commission's guidance says airlines should reply within two months. Keep the reminders; they document the process for the next step.
If you get a rejection citing "extraordinary circumstances", demand concrete documentation — the burden of proof sits with the airline, and vague wording like "operational circumstances" is not documentation.
If you are offered a voucher, you do not have to accept: compensation must by default be paid in money, and a voucher requires your consent. Decline in writing and maintain the claim.
If the airline rejects, or does not answer within about six weeks, you can complain to the Danish Civil Aviation Authority (Trafikstyrelsen), which handles complaints about flights from Danish airports and certain arrivals with EU carriers.
The complaint is filed via the authority's online form using MitID. Attach the whole trail: your claim, the checklist documentation, and the airline's answer or silence. Any fee is typically refunded if you win — check the current terms on the authority's website.
From there the case is written: the authority obtains the airline's comments, you get the chance to respond, and the decision is sent to both parties. If you win, the airline pays out directly in the vast majority of cases — and if it does not follow the decision, you hold a strong case for the next step.
Most rejections recycle a handful of standard arguments. Here are the answers:
The European Commission's guidance says up to two months — but follow up in writing after about four weeks. After roughly six weeks of silence you can escalate to Trafikstyrelsen.
Yes. The right to care — meals, hotel and transport during the wait — applies separately from the compensation. Keep the receipts and include the expenses in your claim.
No. Compensation must by default be paid in money; a voucher requires your explicit consent. Decline in writing and maintain the claim for a cash payout.
Any fee is typically refunded if you win — check the current terms on the authority's website. The complaint is filed online with MitID.
The EU261 claim is still against the airline, package holiday or not. Defects in the trip itself — hotel, transfers, programme — go to the tour operator instead.
See the package travel rulesThe Danish Civil Aviation Authority (Trafikstyrelsen)
The authority only takes the case after you have complained to the airline in writing and received a rejection — or no answer for about six weeks. The online form requires MitID.
Sources and further reading
Describe your trip — in your own words — and get help assessing the claim and sending the complaint to the right places.
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